It's an 11:45 local kickoff in Oxford on Halloween, 74 degrees and overcast, and both teams are coming off losses. Ole Miss fell 34-27 at Texas, and Auburn got run out of its own building 38-17 by LSU. I'm laying the points with the Rebels. Start with the common opponents. Ole Miss beat LSU by 8, while Auburn lost to LSU by 21. Ole Miss won at Vanderbilt by 35, while Auburn beat Vanderbilt at home by 6. Florida breaks Auburn's way, but the three comparisons still average about 13 points in Ole Miss's favor, and the venues mostly flattered Auburn. At home, Ole Miss handled LSU and smothered Missouri 31-3. This game turns on Auburn's offensive line. Auburn has given up 30 sacks in seven games, seven of them against LSU. Tai Buster is out, and left tackle Jacob Strand's status is unconfirmed. Ole Miss logged seven quarterback hurries at Texas. On the other side, Trinidad Chambliss's line has allowed five sacks all season and gets Terez Davis back. The thin Ole Miss secondary is the obvious Auburn angle, with five defensive backs out and Jalyn Crawford questionable. But Auburn just lost Jeremiah Koger, its deep threat at 16.4 yards a catch. Byrum Brown hasn't topped 6.7 yards per attempt in any of the last four SEC games. Kewan Lacy's absence hurts Ole Miss less than it sounds, since Makhi Frazier is averaging 5.9 yards a carry to Lacy's 5.0. And Auburn's pass defense just gave up 388 yards to Sam Leavitt. What worries me is Ole Miss's run defense. It allowed 302 yards to Florida and 238 to Texas, and Brown ran for more than 100 at both Tennessee and Georgia. Auburn has also traveled well, losing by 10 at Tennessee and winning at Georgia. It scored a touchdown with 24 seconds left in both of its home losses, so the backdoor is open, and a 10-point Ole Miss win loses this ticket. Chambliss threw three interceptions at Texas, and Georgia comes to Oxford next week. Check the final SEC report 90 minutes before kickoff for Strand and Crawford. The better team is at home and wins the matchup that decides the game. Ole Miss -10.5.
It's an 11:45 local kickoff in Oxford on Halloween, 74 degrees and overcast, and both teams are coming off losses. Ole Miss fell 34-27 at Texas, and Auburn got run out of its own building 38-17 by LSU. I'm laying the points with the Rebels.
Start with the common opponents. Ole Miss beat LSU by 8, while Auburn lost to LSU by 21. Ole Miss won at Vanderbilt by 35, while Auburn beat Vanderbilt at home by 6. Florida breaks Auburn's way, but the three comparisons still average about 13 points in Ole Miss's favor, and the venues mostly flattered Auburn. At home, Ole Miss handled LSU and smothered Missouri 31-3.
This game turns on Auburn's offensive line. Auburn has given up 30 sacks in seven games, seven of them against LSU. Tai Buster is out, and left tackle Jacob Strand's status is unconfirmed. Ole Miss logged seven quarterback hurries at Texas. On the other side, Trinidad Chambliss's line has allowed five sacks all season and gets Terez Davis back.
The thin Ole Miss secondary is the obvious Auburn angle, with five defensive backs out and Jalyn Crawford questionable. But Auburn just lost Jeremiah Koger, its deep threat at 16.4 yards a catch. Byrum Brown hasn't topped 6.7 yards per attempt in any of the last four SEC games. Kewan Lacy's absence hurts Ole Miss less than it sounds, since Makhi Frazier is averaging 5.9 yards a carry to Lacy's 5.0. And Auburn's pass defense just gave up 388 yards to Sam Leavitt.
What worries me is Ole Miss's run defense. It allowed 302 yards to Florida and 238 to Texas, and Brown ran for more than 100 at both Tennessee and Georgia. Auburn has also traveled well, losing by 10 at Tennessee and winning at Georgia. It scored a touchdown with 24 seconds left in both of its home losses, so the backdoor is open, and a 10-point Ole Miss win loses this ticket. Chambliss threw three interceptions at Texas, and Georgia comes to Oxford next week.
Check the final SEC report 90 minutes before kickoff for Strand and Crawford. The better team is at home and wins the matchup that decides the game. Ole Miss -10.5.
Ole Miss -10.5